A-F School Grading System Rules Open for Public Comment

Posted by sde on Tue, 02/21/2012 - 9:50am

Draft rules and a rule intent statement for the A-F School Grading System and several other administrative rules have been posted on the State Department of Education’s website, under Implementation of a System of School Improvement and Accountability. The rules are open for a public comment period through March 19.

In addition to the public comment period, a public forum will be held beginning at 10 a.m. March 19, 2012; comments must be made by 4 p.m. that day. The State Board of Education will vote on the rules at its regular monthly meeting March 29.

The State Department of Education also has extended through March 1, 2012, the public comment period for Reading Sufficiency Act, Supplemental Online Instruction and several other administrative rules. Comments must be received by 4 p.m. March 1. The State Board of Education will hold a special meeting at 1:30 p.m. March 5 to consider adopting these rules.

A-F was one of several reforms passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin last year.

“An A-F grade is important in that it will provide greater transparency for our schools and will draw more parental and community involvement,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi said. “It is evident that schools that have higher levels of parent and community involvement have better-performing educators and better-prepared students.”

The A-F School Grading System will use assessment results from the 2011-12 school year in determining a ranking that is designed to encourage parent and community engagement and better understanding of school performance in a manner transparent to school leaders and easily communicated to the public, Barresi said. In addition to test scores, a school’s grade will include academic growth and others factors such as graduation and dropout rates and the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses for high schools, and attendance rates for elementary schools.

Send written comments on A-F or other draft rules submissions to the State Board of Education Office, 2500 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4599, or rules@sde.ok.gov.